The Six Month Stretch: Struggles in Pumping for the Working Mom
As a general rule, I try not to complain. I have a lot to be thankful for, namely my three delightful (most of the time) daughters and a wonderful, supportive husband. But sometimes the pressure of working full time, organizing the household, waking up multiple times at night and on top of all that pumping 5 times a day starts to wear on a girl. With each of my kids I’ve hit a wall around the 4-6 month mark. This is the time when babies tend to need the most milk, but are not yet on solids. Which usually isn’t a problem if you’re home and can feed the baby on demand because your body will adjust accordingly. Unfortunately, for those of us gone 10 hours a day, this transition can be difficult as we continue to pump the same amount and watch our freezer stash rapidly dwindle.
I came home last week, opened the freezer, and nearly had a panic attack when I realized the 160 oz I had saved up prior to maternity leave was down to 12 oz. Not even enough to cover 1 day away from my baby. I promptly had a little tantrum about it (breast milk is a very emotional liquid), blaming our caregivers for digging into the stash, blaming myself for not noticing earlier and blaming my husband for not having boobs. I was frustrated and tired and sick of being attached to my pump. But I also realized, I should have been paying better attention and had been getting a little bit lazy with my pumping schedule, thinking I had my stash to fall back on. I’m a lactation consultant for crying out loud, I should probably take my own advice. So I came up with a plan to increase my output. Not a fun prospect, because it involved adding in even more pumping, but a necessity.
My feelings have not changed completely since then (although I have forgiven my husband for his physical deficiency), but just a few changes this week, namely more sleep, have reminded me that this too shall pass (very quickly) and I can get through the tough parts as I have before.
All this being said, I want to help you avoid panic attacks, tantrums and irrational husband blaming in the name of milk, so here are a few tips for when your baby enters this stage:
Keep track of your milk stash!! Check how much you have weekly and make sure caregivers are telling you when they use any milk on top of what you pumped the day before. If extra milk is used, be sure to add in a pumping session at home to make up for it.
Train caregivers on pace feeding, the mechanics of breastfeeding and supply and demand. If they are not familiar with the process of breastfeeding, they may not realize how much work you put into pumping and how extra supplementation can affect your supply.
Add in a session if possible. Leading up to the 6 month mark, evaluate your work day to see if you can fit in an extra pumping session. Discuss with your boss options to add in more sessions. Even if it’s just 5-10 minutes, any extra stimulation can help.
Spend as much time with baby as possible. On the weekends and at night, do skin to skin, feed on demand and try to pump 1-2 times per day after feedings.
Don’t quit on a bad day. This is the best advice I’ve come across for breastfeeding moms. There will be bad days, but quitting when you’re down often leads to regret later. If you want to stop breastfeeding or pumping, that is 100% your decision and should be supported. But do it after evaluating what you really want with a clear head and some real consideration.
Don’t stress too much. After your baby starts on solids, there is almost always lower demand for milk. You will most likely be able to go back to your regularly scheduled pumping sessions soon and depending on your supply, may be able to cut out one session as baby approaches 1 year.
Above all, remember that you are doing all of this for a very good cause. This period will go much more quickly than you think, and it will all be worth it.
Here I am in my natural habitat of 2019.
